Belal Muhammad, the UFC’s welterweight champion, is utilizing his platform to make clear the continuing struggling of Palestinians, drawing consideration to the catastrophic impression of the battle. As the primary UFC fighter of Palestinian descent to safe a championship title, Muhammad’s victory in July 2024 at UFC 304 in Manchester, England, was a historic second for his heritage. However for Muhammad, it was a chance to symbolize Palestine on the worldwide stage.
Voice for Palestine’s Struggling
Belal Muhammad Stands for Palestine Amid Disaster
His phrases are a chilly reminder of the continuing violence in Gaza, the place Palestinian civilians, together with youngsters, are struggling at an alarming charge. “It’s crazy how much they don’t care about kids dying, you know? These are women, children, men—it doesn’t even matter where they’re from or what they’re doing,” Muhammad continued. “It’s like we’re showing you. You’re seeing it every single day on Twitter, on Instagram, on social media.”
Story of Jude
Muhammad shared an emotional story about Jude, a younger boy who now lives together with his household after surviving an assault. The kid was seen in a viral video carrying a Spider-Man shirt, his knee badly injured, as his mom died defending him. “But I’m like, this is a real kid. Here is a kid now,” Muhammad mentioned, reflecting on the human toll of the battle. Jude now lives with Belal Muhammad.
The Devastating Affect
The tragedy isn’t restricted to people like Jude. Since October 2023, practically 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, with the vast majority of victims being girls and youngsters. The continuing violence has not solely claimed lives but additionally destroyed properties, infrastructure, and livelihoods. The United Nations stories that over 7,000 minors and practically 5,000 girls have died on account of the battle, with youngsters aged 5-9 struggling essentially the most. The disaster has displaced numerous civilians, with many now dwelling in overcrowded situations in a tiny fraction of Gaza’s territory, going through starvation, trauma, and the lack of entry to schooling.
Belal Muhammad’s victory got here at a time when the Palestinian neighborhood, significantly athletes, had been impacted by the violence. Because the battle escalated, stories point out that almost 400 Palestinian athletes have misplaced their lives. Muhammad’s platform has allowed him to attract consideration to the plight of those victims.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – JULY 26: Belal Muhammad poses on the dimensions through the UFC 304 ceremonial weigh-in at Co-op Stay on July 26, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photograph by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC through Getty Pictures)
For Belal Muhammad, that is s about standing up for what is true and making certain that the world doesn’t flip a blind eye to the continuing ache of Palestine. Muhammad stays steadfast in his mission to make sure that Palestine’s struggling isn’t forgotten.
“[The conflict] literally has nothing to do with religion, it has to do with humanity. People are literally dying and people are losing their homes. You show a picture of kids dying and I get so many comments like, ‘What about Hamas?’ Bro, you think this 3-year-old kid that just got bombed and killed is Hamas? People look for keywords, trigger words that will get other trolls that just comment on your thing to get a rise out of you.”